My Year in Books
2019 Book Diet
Back in May, I sent out a newsletter with my Media Diet, while I still am not sure how often I will share them, I will periodically, like today. For the end of the year (or the start of the year), I am going to do a recap, but I am going to split it into a few sections. In this first part, I am going to share my year in books.
My reading went pretty well in 2019. I finished 22 books, while my goal was 30, I still did pretty well, and it was up from the 12 I read the year before (this is according to the log I keep in Goodreads, assuming I am keeping it up to date properly). I have talked before about the idea of the goal should maybe be time or page based instead of books because they can vary in size and difficulty quite a bit. An excellent example of this would be that even though this year, I almost doubled (an 83% increase) my number of books, the pages I read only went up about 50% (again, according to Goodreads).
In my previous Media Diet issue I had shared my notes on the first five books I had read if you want further info on them you can check that out, but here is the abbreviated version;
- Everything is Horrible and Wonderful by Stephanie Wittels Wachs (B)
- Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (B)
- The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss (B)
- Creative Selection by Ken Kocienda (B)
- Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon (A)
I am going to sort the rest into groups, and in most cases, I am going to leave off the subtitles if they have them.
Fiction
At some point in life, I tried to tell myself I should alternate between reading fiction and non-fiction every other book. Really this doesn’t make a ton of sense with how I read anyways because I always seem to be reading about four books at the same time. Looking at this list, it doesn’t seem like the two have landed very even though I only finished six fiction books this year. I am not upset by this stat, but it is interesting to see it laid out.
- Arlo Finch in the Valley of Fire and Arlo Finch in the Lake of the Moon by John August - These books are what the industry calls “Middle Grade,” it is aimed at like 8-12-year-olds. The first couple Harry Potter books also fell into this genre. I found these books because the author did an interview on a podcast I listened to, which lead me to listen to a whole other podcast which was the making of the Arlo Finch books (always down the rabbit holes). Anyways, I initially thought Owen might like these books, but I was going to read it first to see, but then I enjoyed them, and he didn’t as much. They are solid books. The third one comes out in February. (B)
- The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman - As with any book by Neil Gaiman, this is a well-written book. It has a sense of wonder and oddity. It is weird and strangely beautiful at the same time. (A)
- Looking for Alaska by John Green - This is John Green’s first novel. It has a similar feel to his others, but sort of feels younger at the same time. It is a quick read, but it stuck with me for a while after I read it, it makes you feel what the characters are feeling. Worth checking out. (A-)
Memoir/Essay
- Composed by Rosanne Cash - This is by Johnny Cash’s oldest daughter, it has great insight into growing up with a famous dad. It does a good job of not solely being about what it’s like being around Johnny Cash, though, obviously he is a main character, but it is about her life. Sometimes it is nice to read through other people’s struggles too. (B)
- Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino - This is a book of essays, Jia is mostly known as a writer online for a lot of different sites. She is good at capturing some of what it is like growing up with the technology the way it is now and how it is affecting our lives. There is a lot in here that made me see things differently from a woman’s point of view. There are funny stories and interesting takes on how we got to where we are. There is a block from the first essay that resonates with me;
“The internet is also in large part inextricable from life’s pleasures: our friends, our families, our communities, our pursuits of happiness, and — sometimes, if we’re lucky— our work. In part out of a desire to preserve what’s worthwhile from the decay that surrounds it, I’ve been thinking about five intersecting problems: first, how the internet is built to distend our sense of identity; second, how it encourages us to overvalue our opinions; third, how it maximizes our sense of opposition; fourth, how it cheapens our understanding of solidarity; and, finally, how it destroys our sense of scale.”
As people of the internet today, I think these things are essential to think about. (A)
- Home Game by Michael Lewis - You might recognize Michael Lewis as the author The Blindside or Money Ball, but he has a lot of books out there, this one is about being a dad. As anyone who has kids knows, it often feels like things are out of control, and maybe you are the only one dealing with these things, but everyone goes through them. I found a lot of relatable content in this book. It was a faster read, but if you don’t have kids, probably not for you. (B)
- Comedy Sex God by Pete Holmes - Pete Holmes is mostly a comedian, TV show maker, and podcaster, but he wrote a book too. I am still not entirely sure how I felt about this book. It was sold as a memoir, but with an edge of coming to grips with religion. While that is what it was, I felt it took a harder turn toward the end than I expected. I really like Pete, I think he is funny, the book is well written, but again, the ending just surprised me more. Maybe it was just the feeling of being taken off guard. (B)
Productivity/Self-Help/Betterment
These books sort of all fit together, I have a funny relationship with the Productivity/Self-Help book section. I always find that even if the book is 200 pages long, it probably could have been summarized in about three pages. I understand that most of them like to build up example after example, but sometimes I just think it could be done more simply. While this isn’t always the case, I understand that some people work better when the point is repeated over and over. Let’s see if I can summarize this in a few quick thoughts.
- Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott - This book is older and gets recommended a lot, it is more a story of her life and how she writes, but the main idea is easy, take it bird by bird, one thing at a time, everything breaks down to smaller tasks, and you can work through it. (B+)
- Atomic Habits by James Clear - This book is actually full of good examples and ways to help change your habits, but the overall theme and something we all need to realize is easy; our habits control our lives. Small changes make significant differences, and if you aren’t aware of the things you do, you can’t change them. (A)
- The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz - I mean this one is easy to condense, it’s in the title; be impeccable with your words, don’t take things personally, don’t make assumptions, do your best. Good things to strive for, while this book is shorter, it really is all right there. (C+)
- Show Your Work and Keep Going by Austin Kleon - I like Austin Kleon, his books are simple and have great messages, they are way more fun and approachable than some of the others here. These two, along with Steal Like an Artist for a sort of trilogy of creative guidance. Show Your Work is about sharing what you are making, bringing your audience on the journey with you. Keep Going is about staying at it, finding reasons to keep creating when things get hard. Both great easy reads with lots of good quotes. (A)
Other
Working and Range both could have probably fit in different categories, but I had more thoughts on them. Talking to Strangers, I don’t know what group it would go into, so here it is, also because it may be my top pick this year.
- Working by Robert Caro - Robert Caro is an award-winning biographer; he spent years working on what will now be a five-volume set on Lyndon Johnson. While I haven’t yet set out to read any of these, this book is about his journey making them. It goes into how he has spent years researching his subjects and how he always seems to go deeper and deeper than he intends (rabbit holes will do that). I am always fascinated by how people work, and I like the idea of falling so far into research that it consumes you. This idea sounds a little odd, so I think I am going to explore it in more detail in an upcoming newsletter. This was a great book, especially if you are into this sort of stuff. (A)
- Range by David Epstein - This book was like sort of a reinforcement of what I am doing here, sort of. It is about how being a generalist might be better than a specialist. The idea that having a wide breadth of knowledge will help you more than knowing every little detail about a particular field. It is full of different examples of this type of story. They even have a section on being a polymath. While there may have been a little ‘preaching to the choir’ going on, I liked it and agreed with the overall idea. Besides the idea of trying a lot of things to find what you actually like to do, the other main point was that it is never too late to learn something new. I think that it is a great idea for everyone to take to heart. (A)
- Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell - Malcolm Gladwell is a very popular author; this was, however, his first book that I read. If all of his books are written like this, I understand why he is so popular. The way this book is set up is like a well set up TV show; everything comes back around and sets up this end argument that just hits you hard. This book, I think of all the books I read this year, made me rethink how I was looking at a subject. I guess the most prominent message from it may lead back up to The Four Agreements again, don’t make assumptions. We don’t know other people; everyone is different, we have to remember that. (A)
Closing
So that is my year in books. Maybe you’ll find something you want to check out. If you have read any of these, I would love to know what you thought about them. Or if you have any other good recommendations on books, send them my way. Next week I will share my movie and TV shows from 2019.
Thanks for reading, Mike